Jones was born in Lebanon, Ohio on July 11, 1962. Her mother, a fashion model, is of African American and Native American heritage, and her father, a jazz drummer, is Italian.[1] Jones was raised mostly by her grandparents, until relocating to Los Angeles when her mother remarried.[1] She began a singing career at age 15 as a backup vocalist for Teena Marie, whom her mother managed. Today, she maintains her own fan pages on Myspace and Facebook. Highlights from her early career include various collaborative works